PA Photographer refuses to take senior pics for bullies

[Pandora]

INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. -- An Indiana County photographer has decided not to shoot senior pictures for a group of high school girls she saw bullying and harassing other students online.

"I don't want to photograph them, I don't want them to be a part of my business image and I don't want them on my blog," Jennifer McKendrick told Channel 4 Action News' Ashlie Hardway.

McKendrick said she saw four high school seniors bullying other kids on an anonymous Facebook page that went beyond just name-calling.

"It was beyond 'your clothes are ugly' or 'you don't have any brand clothes' or 'you are ugly, your hair is not right.' It was vicious. It was talking about sexuality," McKendrick said.

She told Hardway that she was supposed to take the girls' senior portraits.

Instead of taking their pictures, McKendrick took screen shots of the online comments and sent them to her clients' parents, saying she saw their children's behavior on the Internet and was canceling their sessions and refunding their $200 deposits.

Read more: http://www.wtae.com/high-school-playbook/28907376/detail.html#ixzz1VgsytJE2More at link: http://www.wtae.com/high-school-playbook/28907376/detail.html

 

[Charlie09]

It's her business, she should be able to have the clientele she wants.

 

[sherbetjello]

Well, here is my thought, if the parents of these bullies aren't willing to face and correct these issues w/I their children, the public should be allowed to. "it takes a village"

I appreciate what this photog is doing, but I'm the parent of a child being bullied.

 

[LadyL]

awesome! glad to see her stand up for what's right & hopefully those students learn from this

 

[Tugela]

What was she doing on the kids facebook pages to start with?

Looking for an "incident" to make a "stand" so as to get some free publicity?

 

[Alaska4959]

What was she doing on the kids facebook pages to start with?

Looking for an "incident" to make a "stand" so as to get some free publicity?

Kids get their senior pictures taken with lots of different props and backgrounds these days. Perhaps she was looking to see what their interests were so she could have appropriate props, etc., available when they came for their sittings?

 

[Elphaba]

If this photographer has a Facebook page and the girls "liked" it or "friended" the photographer, whatever activities they are involved in would be viewable to the photographer... and I applaud her for taking a stand against the bullies.

 

[HMSHood]

It's her business, she should be able to have the clientele she wants.

Exactly. Good for her.

 

[HMSHood]

What was she doing on the kids facebook pages to start with?

Looking for an "incident" to make a "stand" so as to get some free publicity?

If the bullies did not "like" or "friend" her that wouldn't happen.

 

[ohiogirl]

Good for her. Hopefully more people will do things like this. I also think it was a good way to bring the teenagers' behavior to the attention of their parents. I don't know how anyone can fault this woman for what she did. jmo

 

[chasing.halos]

Love love love. Thank you Jennifer for taking a stand. I like when action is taken. Sometimes I think the "anti-bullying" campaigns are just all talk.

 

[Velouria]

Good for her. Hopefully more people will do things like this. I also think it was a good way to bring the teenagers' behavior to the attention of their parents. I don't know how anyone can fault this woman for what she did. jmo

BBM

I agree with you ohiogirl. But as for your last sentence bolded above, you can bet some people will.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Is this legal?

 

[Lucid]

I think this is pretty awesome. Especially since it must have cost her a pretty penny to give back $212 per person in a group.

While at first I balked at the thought that she may have looked up her clients online, I suppose it isn't all that strange or abnormal to do. She's working one-on-one with these people, and a lot of people do research, background checks, etc prior to hiring or other things. It wouldn't have happened if the clients had their facebooks marked private... but they let it out in the public, it's their own faults if somebody looked them up or found them. It's not a crime to look at things put out to the public, no matter what the photographer's reasons for looking were...

 

[gitana1]

Is this legal?

Yes. It is. Not only that, it's very moral, IMO.

Wish there were more adults out there who would take a stand in such a manner and hold kids accountable for evil behavior. Boy would we have a better world if they did!

 

[gitana1]

I think this is pretty awesome. Especially since it must have cost her a pretty penny to give back $212 per person in a group.

While at first I balked at the thought that she may have looked up her clients online, I suppose it isn't all that strange or abnormal to do. She's working one-on-one with these people, and a lot of people do research, background checks, etc prior to hiring or other things. It wouldn't have happened if the clients had their facebooks marked private... but they let it out in the public, it's their own faults if somebody looked them up or found them. It's not a crime to look at things put out to the public, no matter what the photographer's reasons for looking were...

In one of the articles she stated something about not wanting them on her blog. That indicates to me that they may have been FB friends of hers somehow.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Yes. It is. Not only that, it's very moral, IMO.

Wish there were more adults out there who would take a stand in such a manner and hold kids accountable for evil behavior. Boy would we have a better world if they did!

I was just wondering. Because we just had a thread about people refusing services to people because they didn't like how they lived.

It was in Jersey.

 

[Lucid]

In one of the articles she stated something about not wanting them on her blog. That indicates to me that they may have been FB friends of hers somehow.

I believe she is one of those "private" photographers - I see them ALL the time because I follow a lot of "mom" blogs, and so many have these pictures done of their kids - but they are expensive. But oh so pretty. Outdoorsy type pictures, and the photographer plays with settings in photoshop to change lighting, etc. Lots of pictures that don't look "posed" but more natural...

Lots of these photographers have "blogs" that they post their work on, and comments about the subjects - such as how cute they are (children or babies) or what a beautiful family it is.

There's actually a link to her blog at the bottom of that news article where you can see. These sorts of photographers tend to be more "personal" than going to a studio, so I could totally see why she wouldn't want these girls posted on her blog! It wouldn't surprise me, though, if they did "like" her on facebook or something, or if she keeps a facebook for her business.

 

[passionflower]

I'm behind her 100%........punish those bullies anyway you can!

 

[gitana1]

I was just wondering. Because we just had a thread about people refusing services to people because they didn't like how they lived.

It was in Jersey.

Yes, I am aware of the thread and the case. Let me try to clear up the difference. It is illegal to discriminate against a "protected class", i.e. refuse service solely on the basis of one's gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sex, sexuality, etc.

Bullies are not a protected class. They are just bullies. It is 100% legal to refuse service to them and in my non-legal opinion, almost everyone in America would agree that it is wholly just to do so.